Weyerbacher Brewing Company, Verboten

Weyerbacher, the company that has brought us so many good beers including Merry Monks, Blithering Idiot, and their popular Imperial Pumpkin Ale have yet another one of their crafty brews in the archive known as Verboten, a Belgian-Style Pale Ale. Originally released under the name Alpha, it was later changed to Zoten (the Dutch word for fools) when it became a seasonal release, but it wasn’t until they received a cease & desist from a European brewery that they chose to rename this beer Verboten, which fittingly translates from the German language to ‘forbidden’. 

Founded in 1995 by Dan and Sue Weirback, Weyerbacher Brewing Company is located in downtown Easton, PA. After touring Long Trail’s brewery in Vermont back in 1993, Dan was inspired and decided to start his own craft beer company, and there his company was born in a livery stable in Pennsylvania.

Verboten is a Belgian-Style Pale Ale, medium-body, moderately hopped with a light, fluffy head. The combination of Pale, Carahell and Wheat malts in addition to a generous hopping of Cascade really  gives this Belgian-Style Pale Ale an interesting, distinctive character. Verboten has a crisp, refreshing  first sip followed by mild bitterness introduced by the abbey yeast strain. Mild carbonation and a slight, soured fruity taste individualizes this beer from the rest of the Weyerbacher family.

I found the balance of this beer to be almost close to perfect! Verboten hits the mark with all of the ingredients used in the formula, but what I appreciate the most is the simplicity of the product upon completion. Not one aspect was overbearing or overwhelming and they really took the time to create a European beer with an American twist yet still keeping their creation harmonious.

I gave this craft beer a higher rating than usual, but it is well deserved and rightfully earned. Verboten  is a great session beer and a perfect change-up from the IPA’s and summertime farmhouse beers. I highly recommend this beer to anyone that enjoys Belgian-Style Ales and is looking for something a little bit different from the norm. Weyerbacher has yet to disappoint me with anything they have released thus far. I have had many of their beers prior to trying Verboten, but I must say this one is in my top 3 from Weyerbacher. Well done guys! Cheers!

Belgian-Style Pale Ale

5.9% ABV

Package: 6 pack 12 oz. bottles

Personal Rating 9.2/10

Style Rating 8.8/10

Wanna try it now? Order it online at whitehorsewine.com

Victory, Hop Ranch Imperial IPA

Here's a new release from Victory. This is a new winter seasonal available in 4 packs. A very unique Imperial IPA due to the fact that it uses 2 very new hops (mosaic and azacca) which were formally unnamed and only referred to as hop #369 (mosaic) and #483 (azacca). Mosaic has been around for a short time but is quickly being picked up and used by most craft brewers because of its complex aroma and piney yet fruit forward flavor. The azacca hop was release very recently by the american dwarf hop association and was named after the Haitian god of agriculture. It has a distinctive nose with notes of mango, apricot, apples, and pears. These two new hops are the only hops used in this brew but they provide a really complex range of flavors and aromas. 

This beer clocks in at 9% abv which does not put it in the "sessionable" category. However, they brewed this one with Pilsner malt to give it a real light body. It is just enough to stand up to the big, bitter hop flavors but not enough to fill you up.

This is another brew from Victory that is really making me look at this brewery in a new light. A solid release that will definitely wow the hop heads out there. If Victory keeps this up, they will be far ahead of their fellow craft brewers!

Personal Rating: 9.8/10
Style Rating: 9/10

Wanna try it now? Order it online at: 
https://www.whitehorsewine.com/proddetail.php?prod=630279474044